


Bright Spot

by brokenhighways



Category: DCU (Comics), Smallville, Superman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M, First Dates, Fluff and Angst, One Shot, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:48:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29071296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenhighways/pseuds/brokenhighways
Summary: Clark and Lois have finally agreed to begin a relationship, but things aren't plain sailing - and for once, it's nothing to do with his secret.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23
Collections: Clois (Smallville)





	Bright Spot

**Author's Note:**

> [Set after Pandora (S9, E9) but can be read as a standalone.]
> 
> My summary-fu was broken for this one, lol.

The elevator doors ping open and Lois drops his hand, glancing around like she thinks someone is going to jump in and scare them half to death.

When he asked Lois what was going on with them as a couple, he knew she'd be resistant - and possibly run away again. It was more of a leap of faith than a tangible tactic, yet here they are about to embark on a new path.

It's not just Lois Lane and Clark Kent, the dynamic reporting duo.

It's Lois  _ and  _ Clark.

Together.

Once they're out of the elevator, Clark follows her lead, trailing behind her when she heads towards the exit and down the street to Metro Café. It's not the  _ ideal _ first date, but it's more of a pre-date anyway.

He  _ should _ be nervous. Usually, he would be. With Lana, he could barely string a sentence together at first, and... towards the end it was the same. What should have pain heartbreak fell away and left him with relief, along with  _ shame  _ because of how he'd handled things with Lois.

He didn't mean to lead her on or drag another unsuspecting person into the crazy tumbleweeds of his life, it's just that...

Things are different with Lois.

There's always been a part of him that knows  _ she's _ different. Always been a part of him that's not afraid of her leaving even when she  _ does  _ leave because there's always a part of him with her.

Whether it's her direct and at times, abrasive text messages, or her casual emails asking him what's up or just the silly voicemails she leaves him - Lois Lane has been the one constant in his life that doesn't make him feel like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

It's like her heartbeat is a river and he's forever gliding on it. She's  _ always  _ there, yet Clark doesn't know how he got to this point. He can't quite say how he feels, but his denial ran dry a long time ago.

Somewhere between the dark and lightness, he realised she was the only bright spot. The only person who made him feel normal and special at the same time. She treated him like he was her equal, never held herself back whenever she wanted to. Even when things got awkward and she'd punch his shoulder, it was more than she gave anyone else.

To everyone else, she was loud, brash, annoying and snarky, but to him? She was just Lois, the woman who hid behind her armour because she didn't want it to get chinked. She had to be tough just in case everyone around tripped and she needed to help them up.

She'd propped Clark up enough times, usually when he was in his head and weighed down by... his secret.

His destiny.

"Smallville?"

Clark blinks. Lois is staring up at him, her brow furrowed with concern and he realises he's been lost in thought.

"Sorry, I was just... thinking about you."

He doesn't mean to say it out loud, but it's worth it when she smiles.

"Yeah, right." Lois takes a sip of her latte and bows her head slightly, preventing Clark from seeing her eyes. "Anyway, what do you usually talk about on the first date?"

Clark can't remember having a first date per se. With Kyla, they connected over the caves, never having what anyone would call a traditional date. Lana... well, it's better left unsaid and with Alicia…it was over before it started.

"I don't know. I don't think I've ever had one. Not a proper one, anyway."

When it comes to relationships, he has a nasty habit of super speeding in and getting burned and stumbling on the way out.

"And this  _ isn't _ one, by the way," he adds hastily.

Lois's lips curl into a half-smile. "Right. I forgot that you moonlight as a romantic sap in your spare time."

Clark rolls his eyes, secretly glad that this shift in their relationship hasn't changed  _ everything _ . "What do you usually talk about on a first date?"

Lois shrubs. "Nothing and everything. Usually, I get so nervous that I start talking and talking and talking and talking and…"

"So, business as usual then?"

"Yeah…" Lois clears her throat. "You must have been pretty shaken up when I…"

... collapsed in his arms and slipped into a coma brought on by her foray into the future?

They haven't spoken about it, and can't really. Not with them telling her she was hypoglycemic. Telling her she was trapped in post-apocalyptic memories of the future wouldn't have gone down well.

Clark is doing his best to forget  _ everything _ he saw. Part of him feels like some kind of voyeuristic weirdo, but...The other part feels a weird sense of comfort knowing that Lois found him even in the future. They were there for each other, the way they've always been and it gave him the courage to finally put himself out there in the present.

"I thought I'd lost you…" Clark tells her softly.

"I'm not going anywhere, Smallville," Lois says. "I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

+

It's unfair.

Comparing his relationship with Lana to his budding one with Lois is unfair, but he can't help it. The way he felt with Lana was different. It was easy for them to slip into their roles as boyfriend and girlfriend. To show up to places with his arm wrapped around her shoulders, or to kiss her wherever he wanted.

It was easy for him to slot Lana into what he thought a partner was. Someone who accepted him unconditionally and made him feel loved, and like he could do anything. Too easy, and when it inevitably crumbed he was left with hopes and dreams that would never materialise.

Lois, on the other hand, is skittish. Hand holding is off-limits, public displays of affection are far and few between. Other than her agreeing to embark on this relationship, not much has changed between them. They still bicker over their desks at The Daily Planet. She  _ still  _ has to have the last word, and worst of all - she paid him back for the box of maple donuts he bought for her.

"Can you blame her?" Oliver asks when Clark musters up the nerve to ask for some advice. "You were in love with Lana five minutes ago. You left her hanging at Chloe and Jimmy's wedding, and you asked her out to one of her favourite things in the world and stood her up. You're not exactly Mr Dependable. I mean, what do you want her to do? Doodle 'Mr & Mrs Kent on a notepad only to have you superspeed it away?"

Clark can only stare at Oliver once he's done. "I had no idea you felt so strongly about Lois and me."

"You don't have ideas about a lot of things, Clark." Oliver pats him on the shoulder. "Just be patient."

+

He cooks her dinner at the farm, figuring that'll bring a semblance of normalcy to things. He won't be trying too hard and she won't feel uneasy. He finds himself wishing he could talk to someone else about this, but...the only person he wants to talk to is her.

The one thing he doesn't doubt is how he feels about her.

However, Oliver hit a note Clark's been avoiding. He's going to let her down. He's going to miss things. He's going to hurt her and not be able to explain why, but...he's never going to be able to walk away from her. After having one relationship crash and burn, Clark would rather spare her the pain. Yet it's like his feet move of their own accord. He couldn't pull away even if he tried, and talking to her as The Blur...It was like the missing pieces fell into place.

"Clark!" Chloe's voice sounds and he looks up, finding her standing by the kitchen door. "Uh...Lois sends her love?"

She's holding up an oddly shaped cake covered in thick blue frosting and the memory of a past birthday flickers past his eyes. "And potentially some food poisoning?"

_ I'll bring dessert _ is what Lois's text message had promised, but apparently that didn't mean she would turn up herself.

Chloe strolls further into the kitchen and takes in the candles and flowers on the table. "Ah. You two had plans, didn't you? Hence why she sent me...to let you down gently."

"She's not coming?" Clark takes the cake from Chloe, turning away from her when the disappointment sinks in. Like a splash of cold water to the face, a chill travels down his spine and he wonders where he went wrong.

"There was something about a story, but between you and me, I think this is just classic Lois. Things get interesting and…"

"...she runs away," Clark fills in, super speeding up and down the stairs to grab his jacket. "Where did she go? Is she at the apartment? I need to see her."

"Whoa, slow down! Maybe you should give her some space."

"If I gave her any more space, I'd be a crater, Chloe. Where is she?"

"Clark, I'm all for your proactive approach to love, but…"

"What?"

"You don't have the best track record." Chloe folds her arms and tilts her head, her eyes travelling to where Clark keeps his family scrapbook. "I know you don't want to be alone, but I don't want both of you to get hurt."

"You know me better than anyone, Chloe. If I could stay away, I would, but…"

Clark trails off, not wanting to say more than he has to, at least not to the wrong person.

"She means too much to you…" Chloe sighs. "Dammit. She's on the roof of the Daily Planet. With a sleeping bag and torchlight."

"What?"

"She said something about seeing the stars."

"With a torchlight?"

Chloe grins. "Maybe it's time you dust off your telescope. Or did it die along with your feelings for Lana?"

While Clark  _ did  _ banish his telescope when things with Lana ended, lately he's been staring into the night sky more than usual, wishing he could see into the galaxy.

It's always felt more like home than anything, and... sharing it with Lois would be perfect.

"I'll always have a place in my heart for Lana, Chloe, but…Lois is the one. I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

"No. You haven't..."

Chloe's staring at him with wonder like she's truly seeing him for the first time.

Maybe she is.

+

Clark opens the door leading to the roof gently, not wanting to startle Lois. He tried calling on the way over, but there was no answer. In the past, he'd take the hint and move on, but he's not going to let her slip through his fingers again.

"Clark." Without turning to face him, Lois holds up a beer bottle in salute. "Have you come to tell me we're done?"

"What? Lois, I thought you were done with  _ me _ !"

Lois turns to face him, chewing her bottom lip nervously before she says, "I've been acting so... I don't know... I know I agreed to this and I do  _ like  _ you."

"... but?" Clark takes a breath, finally understanding what it's like to be on the other side. Dangling in anticipation when a single word could crush him and leave him on the proverbial floor.

"The way you look at me," Lois says. "No one ever has before. I'm scared I'll mess it up."

Clark approaches her slowly, step by step to show her that he's willing to go at whatever pace she likes. "You won't."

"How are you sure?"

"Something tells me we're meant to be."

"Hallmark, much?"

Clark smiles, reminded that Lois is unlike all the other women he's fallen for. It's because he knows her so well that he knows exactly what to say.

"What is if you always tell me?" Clark says. "Trust your gut. This is me. Trusting my gut. And it's telling me that I'd be an idiot to let you go."

...that and the reminder of how much it  _ hurt  _ when she vanished for three weeks and nobody could find her. The scars of running around the globe abated when she re-emerged yet they'll never fade. 

"I guess I can't argue with my own excellent advice." Lois pats the spot next to her, and Clark joins her. "What's in the bag?"

Clark takes out his telescope and points towards the sky where the moon seems to be shining brighter than before.

"I thought you might need some help seeing the stars, what with it being the city and all."

"The view is  _ much  _ better at the farm," Lois says. The twinkle in her eye makes him wonder what exactly she's talking about, but he forgets about it when she rests her head on his shoulder and relaxes, her weight a gentle presence on Clark's side.

Clark is hit by a strong desire to scoop her up and super speed away, and for a second the same doubts dance in his periphery, asking him if this is a good idea.

It takes just as long for him to realise that he's never going to want to give this - her - up and one day, sometime in the near future - she'll know everything about him.

... and they'll be just fine.


End file.
